Cailc Surfs the ’Net!

By Paul Hamilton

We’ll be surfing! We’ll be surfing Waikiki, Waikiki. Heck, we’ll be surfing from Helsinki to Halifax!

Surf, in verb or noun form, is a term traditionally associated with fun in the sun and water sports. In the past few years, however, surfing is something as often done on the ’net as it is on waves.

Surfing the ’net -- or, rather, surfing the Internet -- is the activity of travelling through cyberspace along the information highway. This activity is mostly engaged in for the purposes of pursuing opportunities to gather, distribute or exchange information. Advance electronics and communications technology has made it possible for one to freely, but at a small charge,
join in on this buzz of creativity, along with millions of other such surfers the world over.

The information highway is rapidly becoming an essential for many aspects of life. It permits the attainment of knowledge and the enjoyment of communicating well beyond our usual sphere of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. As well although this is likely not as appealing an application -- it permits one to tend to mundane chores, such as paying bills, with not much more than the double-click of a mouse. (I can hear everyone saying, "Oh boy, a depleted chequing account in a matter of nanoseconds!")

All of this is possible by linking into the world of Web sites on the Internet.

If this sounds to you a bit like an entrance to the next universe, then either you have already found the on-ramp and are travelling the world through cyber-space, or you want very much to wander around but you’re still in search ofa means of transportation

Well, it appears as though several means of transportation are in sight. The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) is launching developmental plans to create access points onto the information highway at each of the 22 Indpendent Living Resource Centres (ILRCs)across Canada.

A heading at the top of the CAILC Internet homepage could read:

NEWS FROM CAILC
The Internet Project Enabling the ILRCs to Trail the Information Highway CAILC is presently undertaking steps to form partnerships with corporate Canada’s leading industries. The objective of this venture is to bring much needed expertise and resources about the information highway to the community of Canadians with a disability.

For CAILC, for ILRCs and, in equal measure, for individuals, the benefits of such a partnership will be to offer many original and creative ways with which to apply resources available within the IL four core-program structure.

Some possibilities might involve the following:

? expansion of the peer support network to include people with disabilities from around the world;
? improved access worldwide to information centres such as the Canadian Clearinghouse on Disability Issues;
? communication cost savings;
? enhanced opportunity for information resource sharing among ILRCs.

Foreseen added value derived from joint ventures also includes a greater awareness of disability and social issues, brought into clearer focus for corporate partners of the IL movement. For persons with a disability, the practical outcomes could involve:

? Improved product design in regard to accessibility;
? Greater corporate awareness of persons with a disability as contributing members of society and as competitive members of the Canadian labour force;

Meaningful consultation with persons with a disability on telecommunications policy development regarding appropriate customer service levels.

The key word in all of this is access.

Access is the watchword of anyone with a disability. Access is mostly thought of in terms of a person using a wheelchair entering a building or someone with a sensory disability using alternative means of communication. Access, however, is indeed fundamental to the act of participating.

It is in this sense that this project carries with it so much promise. That is, the IL movement in Canada brings out the dynamics of the community so that, when joined along with corporate entities that espouse excellence, the highest standards will be brought to bear on the issue of access to the Internet for persons with a disability. If this venture were not struck between CAILC and corporate Canada, many might find themselves, instead of surfing the net, merely rowing with one oar!

(For more information, contact the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) at: 350 Sparks St., Ste. 1004, Ottawa, Ont., K1R 7S8; tel.: (613) 563-2581; fax: (613) 235-4497; e-mail: cailc@intranet.on.ca)


PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM CAILC:

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HUMAN SERVICE: INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTRES
IN ONTARIO
Project Director: John Lord
Published in 1992, this study is a descriptive analysis of the then-six ILRCs in Ontario. It details the unique characteristics of each community-based centre while demonstrating the validity of CAILC’s principles and core programs.
$16.95 + $3.00 S&H

A STEP TOWARD INDEPENDENT LIVING: HOW TO DEVELOP AN INDEPENDENT
LIVING RESOURCE CENTRE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
By Bonnie A. Kowbuz
Published in 1993, this publication provides the reader with a comprehensive step-by-step guide to develop a community-based ILRC. Included in are: directions on how to develop community- based consultations, a feasibility study, an action plan, and a Board of Directors.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

A COMMUNITY HANDBOOK ON DEVELOPING A LITERACY AND DISABILITY
AWARENESS TRAINING PROGRAM
Project Coordinator: Judy Calvin
This handbook is the product from the activities undertaken in CAILC’s National Literacy Initiative. It outlines literacy issues, describes methods which will ensure that ILRCs are accessible to consumers with low literacy skills, and provides a workshop model for ILRCs in educating literacy workers about
disability issues.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

THE CANADIAN INDEPENDENT LIVING MOVEMENT: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
By Fraser Valentine
Published in 1994, this document represents the first comprehensive overview of Independent Living in Canada, the founding of CAILC, the process of securing initial funding, and the position of Independent Living in the 1990s.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

CHOICE FLEXIBILITY AND CONTROL IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH: A GUIDEBOOK
This guidebook outlines the nature of research and its implications on Independent Living.
$4.95 + $1.00 S&H

INDEPENDENT LIVING: AN AGENDA FOR THE ’90S
Edited By Aldred Neufeldt
Published in 1993, this document is a compilation of articles written by many of the consumers responsible for the development and continued sustenance of the Canadian Independent Living Movement.
$14.95 + $3.00 S&H

RESPONDING TO ABUSE: AN INDEPENDENT LIVING APPROACH
By Debra Tomlinson
A comprehensive train-the-trainer resource which applies the Independent Living philosophy to understanding and responding to abuse as it relates to people with all types of disabilities.
$55.00

PREVENTION OF ABUSE AGAINST ELDERLY CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES
By Linda St. Maurice
A series of seven booklets providing an overview of this issue and a prevention model inspired by the philosophy and programs of the Independent Living Movement in Canada.
$55.00

YOUTH SPEAK UP! YOUTH SPEAK OUT!
By Naz Husein
An Independent Living participatory research study on "abuse against youth with disabilities, developed, conducted and written by youth with disabilities" in their own words!
Report: $17.00 Booklet: $3.00

(Send your name, address, publication(s) ordered, and a cheque or money order to:

CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTRES (CAILC)
1004-350 SPARKS STREET
OTTAWA, ON K1R 7S8
TEL: (613) 563-2581
FAX: (613) 235-4497
TTY: (613) 563-2581
E-MAIL: cailc@magma.ca
WEBSITE: http://indie.ca/cailc/english/index.htm